By Jake Barnett, ProWrestling.net Co-Senior Staffer (@barnettjake)
AEW Dynamite (Episode 106)
Miami, Florida at James L Knight Center
Aired live October 16, 2021 on TNT
The show opened with CM Punk making an entrance and joining in on commentary. JR, Tony Schiavone, and Excalibur were also on commentary. Malakai Black made his entrance, followed by Dante Martin for the first match.
1. Dante Martin vs. Malakai Black: I had some feed issues early on in the match due to internet issues at home. The match rejoined about 6 minutes in, with Dante Martin landing a super hurracarrana from the top rope. He sold his knee heavily after landing awkwardly onto it. He attempted a double jump moonsault next, but Martin was unable to cover due to the leg injury. Black recovered and applied a half crab, but he had to release due to selling his ribs. CM Punk asked if he may have had some backfiring with his black mist.
Martin went for a springboard, but missed because of the bad leg. Malakai landed his back heel kick and covered for the win.
Malakai Black defeated Dante Martin in about 10 minutes
After the match, Black walked up the ramp nodded in respect to Martin as he reached the top. Martin looked confused as the show went to commercial.
My Take: I apologize for missing the first several minutes. I have Hulu Live streaming and was forced to reset my Cable Modem due to connectivity problems. What I saw of the match was solid. Malakai Black continues to be booked to win without a ton of character or story development, and Martin is perpetually the guy proving himself in defeat. I hope they can break that cycle soon for both guys.
Backstage, Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy were interviewed by Tony Schiavone backstage. Jungle Boy said they were both banged up, and Christian was at home with neck issues. The Elite showed up and beat down both men, with Cole holding down Jungle Boy while Luchasaurus got at Triple Powerbomb from The Bucks and Omega.
In the arena, Chris Jericho made his entrance for some comments on his match on Rampage last night. He was joined by the rest of the Inner Circle. The crowd sang along to Judas as usual. Santana had the microphone first. He said que pasa to Miami, and said they were one of the cities they can count on to bring energy two nights in a row. The crowd chanted for AEW. He then changed subjects and said while he and Ortiz were handling business the last few weeks, the rest of his boys were dealing with these American Top Team losers.
Dan Lambert walked out with his whole crew, including JDS and Paige Van Zant. He demanded respect for the amount of Championships American Top Team has brought to Florida. Jericho called him a fat faced dipshit. The crowd chanted along. Jericho called out Paige Van Zant, and asked why she was always where the Inner Circle was, and asked if she was trying to slide into his DMs. Jericho said he wouldn’t touch her with her husband’s genitalia. Punk said he didn’t believe him.
Jericho said the reunited Inner Circle was in Miami tonight, and there would be no more 5 on 1 beat downs, they wanted a 5 on 5 match. Jericho then said there was no one crazier than the Inner Circle. Lambert said the Men of the Year have bigger plans that involve Championship Gold. He jawed and insulted Jericho, Hager, and Santana and Ortiz. He said Sami has the stroke to get them the tag match that they want, and he would have a week to agree to their terms, because he wasn’t going to waste another breath on the Miami trash fire he used to call home..
Scorpio Sky then reminded Jericho that he’s beaten him twice. Sammy replied that he was the TNT Champion, and he would kick all their asses next week…[c]
My Take: More chaos in promo form from Lambert and Jericho. Apparently Lambert wants to get the Men of the Year a Tag Title Shot, and wants Sammy Guevara to get it for him? Is that how it works in AEW? In any case, the insult promos riled up the crowd, but I can’t say American Top Team has shown enough for me to make it worth dedicating this much TV time to them.
Andrade El Idolo made his entrance. He was followed by “Los Super Ranas”, who looked suspiciously like FTR. The next match will be for the AAA Tag Team Championships. They were followed by the Lucha Bros.
2. The Lucha Bros vs. FTR aka “Los Super Ranas” for the AAA Tag Team Championships: Fenix started the match with Cash Wheeler. He grabbed at the mask of Fenix to pull it off. All four men were suddenly in the ring and battling back and forth. The masks got pulled off and revealed FTR, as everyone expected…[c]
During the break, Fenix was isolated by both members of FTR. Penta got involved as the show returned and offered Fenix a boot to land a springboard dropkick with a single leg on each member of FTR. He then held down the FTR members so Fenix could dive into their groins from the top rope. Penta then sent both members of FTR to the outside. Both Lucha Bros dove on a member of FTR at ringside.
Back in the ring, The Lucha Bros set up for a spike piledriver, but Wheeler interfered and broke it up. Penta landed a thrust kick on Wheeler on the floor. Wheeler replied with a toss into the timekeepers table. Fenix rolled up Harwood in the ring for a near fall. He then landed a spinning kick for a cover. Tully Blanchard ran down for some interference, leading to a belt shot from Cash Wheeler to Fenix. Harwood then landed a sheer drop brainbuster for the win.
FTR defeated The Lucha Bros for the AAA Tag Team Championships at 8:15
After the match, they went back to Lio Rush and Dante Martin backstage immediately. Lio said what happened tonight was meant to happen. He told Dante that going forward he needed to listen to him, and they would be money. He declared that from now on he would be Dante’s tag partner, which he looked a bit surprised to find out.
My Take: I’m glad they didn’t make the surprise of the mask reveal the crux of that match. It was obvious who it was from the word go. The notepad with the Full Gear card on it seems to be falling into place, despite Tony Khan’s insistence that it was just ideas for the show.
Tony Schiavone interviewed FTR in a stairwell as they fled the building. MJF congratulated them, and Andrade handed MJF an envelope for the “services” of FTR. He told him it was for one night only, and took off with the cash.
In the arena, Wheeler Yuta made his entrance for the next match. He was joined by Orange Cassidy. He was followed by Jon Moxley, who looked angrier than usual.
3. Wheeler Yuta vs. Jon Moxley: Yuta got blindsided by a huge lariat. Moxley then landed a release vertical suplex and some heavy punches. Moxley then landed the Paradigm Shift for the win. He quickly exited through the crowd.
Jon Moxley defeated Wheeler Yuta at 0:48
Yuta was checked on by physicians after the match. He appeared to be holding his left wrist. Elsewhere, Serena Deeb was interviewed by Tony Shiavone. She said he had to drag the division up to her level, and in her absence, everyone had gotten way too comfortable. Hikaru Shida appeared from off screen and bludgeoned her. They brawled as Tony Shiavone scrambled out of the way.
Back in the arena, The Young Bucks made their entrance for the next match. They were joined by Don Callis and Brandon Cutler. Adam Cole made a separate entrance so he could get in all of his crowd work. The Dark Order walked out next, Evil Uno, Alex Reynolds, and John Silver are competing in the match. The Super Kliq attempted to jump the Dark Order before the bell. They attempted an assisted powerbomb out on the stage on John Silver, but he reversed out of it. Dark Order tossed Cole and Nick Jackson into the ring, and the bell rang.
4. Adam Cole and The Young Bucks vs. The Dark Order: Silver and Nick Jackson started the match. Silver initially had an advantage, but with help of Don Callis the heels took over the match. Cole landed a superkick on Silver out on the floor, and then there was a double hip toss from the Young Bucks in the ring. Cole tagged in and landed a neckbreaker. They kept Silver trapped in the heel corner…[c]
My Take: Wheeler Yuta got a ride on the merry go round there. It was unclear if he was hurt or just selling the effects of the match. The rapid fire cuts and segments are in full force tonight.
Evil Uno made a hot tag and took one of Nick Jackson’s shoes off. Matt Jackson was sent to the floor over the top. Uno then stole Nick’s sock and applied a mandible claw, but Cole jumped in to land a superkick and bail him out. Cole set up for the Bucks to kiss him on the cheek, but Silver and Reynolds pulled them to the floor and kissed him instead in a comedy spot. Silver landed a kick, followed by a German Suplex on Cole by Reynolds. Uno landed his Something Evil finish, but couldn’t get the win as The Bucks broke up the pin.
Cole and Reynolds were the legal men, and The Bucks cleared Silver and Uno to ringside. Reynolds rolled up Cole for a near fall. He then picked up Cole, but he slipped out and The Bucks landed a double superkick. Cole followed up with the Panama Sunrise. We then got double knees from The Bucks, and Cole lowered The Boom for the win.
Adam Cole and The Young Bucks defeated The Dark Order at 10:33
After the match, Jungle Boy ran down and attacked Adam Cole. Cole escaped, and Jungle Boy grabbed a chair from ringside. He used it to block cold spray from Cutler, and then hit him over the back with the chair. He then applied the Snare Trap, and nobody came to the aid of Cutler. The Crowd then rocked out to Jungle Boy’s music.
We then got a video package from the Nightmare Factory. Cody showed up for training, and everybody took verbal and physical shots at Cody. Red Velvet told him he had acted like an arrogant piece of shit. The team beat him up in the ring, and Arn told him that nobody was booing his Dad when he put thirty stitches in his head, because he had it coming. He told Cody to focus, because Malakai Black has it coming.
They quickly cut to MJF making his entrance. He ripped on Justin Roberts for not announcing his name as he got to the ring. He then introduced himself, and got booed. Tony Schiavone said there was no match, and CM Punk pointed out that Wardlow wasn’t there. He accused Darby Allin of no-showing tonight like a gutless coward, and then said he had broken him mentally.
MJF insulted an audience member and acted like it was a revelation to him that Darby Allin was attacked last week. He called him deplorable, and said it was low class to not show up for his match. He said he would always be the number two guy around here, and must like Miami, he would always be Mid. MJF then asked Wardlow to come down, and Bryce Remsburg was dragged to the ring with him. He demanded that Bryce make a ten count, and then raise his hand.
Bryce started the count, which brought Sting out to the ring with his bat. MJF shoved Wardlow into a baseball bat strike, and then ran away. MJF teased coming back to the ring, and then bailed again. Sting shouted at him as he left…[c]
My Take: Feels like this show is going 1000mph tonight. The Bucks and Cole picking up another victory was no surprise. MJF continues his feud with Darby, but the plot is a little thin. It’s very handy that MJF is so good at filling time with insults and bloviating.
The announce team plugged the AEW Title eliminator announcement for later in the show. Schiavone interviewed Anna Jay backstage, who was quickly interrupted by Britt Baker. She called The Dark Order losers, Anna disagreed, and they brawled before being separated by referees.
In the arena, Keira Hogan made her entrance, followed by Penelope Ford.
5. Penelope Ford vs. Keira Hogan: They tied up to start. The announce team made an allusion to famous people named Hogan that Keira might be related to. It wasn’t funny. Both women battled back and forth without anyone taking a clear advantage. Hogan landed a back suplex out of the corner and covered for a two count. Ford recovered and ran her into the second turnbuckle for a bulldog…[c]
Hogan had Penelope Ford set on the top rope, and climbed up for a Superplex. She pulled Ford into the ring, but both women were laid out by the impact. They traded punches in the ring, and Hogan got the better of it. She then landed a lariat, and a sliding dropkick in the corner for a near fall. Ford popped up and landed a stunner onto her knees of sorts. Hogan replied with what looked like the same move for a near fall. Ford then landed a springboard stunner, followed by her Muta Lock for the win.
Penelope Ford defeated Keira Hogan at 7:46
After the match, Ruby Soho ran down to the ring and beat down Ford. She landed a series of punches, and then tossed her out of the ring onto the ramp. She talked trash as the Bunny missed her cue, and made the save pretty late.
We got a video package from Miro. He spoke to his God, and said first he allowed him to get beated, and then he stopped answering. Miro said he loves his wife, but he can’t go home like this. He asked why he gave him a body of granite and a neck of sand. He demanded an answer from his God, and said if he remained silent above his head, he would snap necks beneath his feet. He claimed he would redeem himself, and curse his God, so he can go home to see her again.
In the arena, Tony Shiavone welcomed Hangman Page to the ring. He was announced as Kenny Omega’s challenger for the AEW Championship in Minneapolis at Full Gear. Shiavone set the table with a bit of history between Page and Omega. Hangman said that he left his home in Ring of Honor with his friends a few years ago to start AEW. He thought they would change the world, but the world changed them, or at least him. He recalled losing the first AEW World Championship match, and then he began to lose a lot more.
He said he lost his friends, his confidence, and eventually himself, but the one thing that kept getting louder week by week was the fans chanting Cowboy Shit. He said that is real to him, because it represented all the chances he took along the way for the friends who did the same for him. Cowboy shit was having the balls to go home for the birth of his infant son. He said last week he finally picked up the phone and put his body on the line to capture the thing that eluded him along the way.
He said when you fall off, you get back on the horse and keep riding because that’s Cowboy Shit. He said he doesn’t know what the outcome of Full Gear will be, but he knows the people believe in him, and for the first time in his life he does too. He promised to give his blood, sweat, heart and soul at Full Gear, and most of all he will give you Cowboy Shit.
Britt Baker will face Anna Jay next week on Rampage, as well as Andrade vs. Pac 2, and a first round match from the AEW Title Eliminator Tournament. Danielson vs. Fish is next…[c]
My Take: That was a hell of a promo from Hangman. Did a great job setting the stage for the title match, and put to bed all of the dark clouds hanging over his head in regards to his loss of confidence and hopefully drinking issues. I don’t think he needs to beat these subjects to death anymore, and hopefully we’ll see him bring out a better version of Kenny Omega’s comedy heel character. Hogan and Ford wasn’t a bad match, but the crowd didn’t care about it.
Bobby Fish made his entrance first, followed by Bryan Danielson.
6. Bobby Fish vs. Bryan Danielson: Fish landed some kicks to start the match, followed by a shoulder tackle. Fish pressed the offense with kicks to the back, and covered for a one count. Bryan reversed positions and landed a knee to the back of his own. He then wrapped up his legs with Fish’s and pulled back on his nose. He then stomped on his hamstrings.
Danielson tried to push the pace and went for a running clothesline, but Fish cut him off with a kick. Bryan recovered and sent Fish to the floor, and then jumped through the ropes with a suicide dive. He tried to bring Fish back in the ring, but Fish broke free and landed some elbow strikes. Bryan shoved him into the post, but Fish kicked his legs out from under him on the apron as he tried another dive…[c]
Fish focused on the knee and ribs of Bryan during the break. He continued with leg kicks in the corner. Bryan tried to land a couple of forearm strikes, but Fish kicked his leg out from under him. Fish landed a sliding lariat and covered for a two count. He then applied a half crab on the bad leg, and Bryan quickly reversed out of it. Bryan applied an ankle lock, which Bryan used to capture the leg and land a release German Suplex.
Bryan continued to sell his knee. He landed a couple of dragon screw leg whips, and then wrapped his leg around the post. He then landed more elbow shots, and wrapped the leg around the post a few more times. Bryan then landed a chop block. He went for a kick to the chest, but Fish caught it and landed a backdrop suplex for a near fall.
Fish placed Danielson on the top rope and landed an Avalanche Falcon Arrow. He then transitioned into a kneebar. Bryan reversed into a leg lock of sorts, and then finally into a heel hook for the win.
Bryan Danielson defeated Bobby Fish at 12:49
Excalibur flashed the brackets for the Eliminator Tournament for the AEW Title. Next week on Rampage, Powerhouse Hobbs will face Orange Cassidy, and on Dynamite Eddie Kingston will face Lance Archer, and Bryan Danielson will face Dustin Rhodes. Jon Moxley and Dark Order’s 10 round out the AEW World Title Eliminator tournament.
My Take: A fun match between Danielson and Fish that was much different than anything else on the show. AEW continues to push an incredible pace with the speed of these segments and matches, so it’s nice to get a match that builds in a little time to process what is happening. Bryan getting the win seemed like the most obvious direction here, and the Eliminator Tournament looks like it should be some fun.
Now this is a show. Completely solid all around
The contestants in the eliminator tournament really are ridiculous. There is no explanation of the premise, and so many questions – are these the top 8 contenders behind Adam Page? If so, what did Dustin and 10 do to be considered more deserving of a title shot than, say, Punk and Black and MJF? If these are not the top contenders other than Page, how were the 8 chosen? It’s such a random selection. It can’t be an opportunity for lower card wrestlers with poor win/loss records, because Moxley and Danielson are involved.
This encapsulates why AEW booking frustrates a lot of people, because it feels arbitrary from one segment to the next whether they are treating the presentation as something that exists within or without its own four walls.